Japanese Zodiac Friends Set A

Knitting Pattern PDF

The twelve signs of the Japanese zodiac animals (Junishi) are almost the same as the Chinese zodiac. The Japanese zodiac has a wild boar instead of a pig, and a sheep in place of a goat.

You will need small amounts of DK (8-ply) yarn, around 10g each. While the project can be crafted with 2 straight needles, using 2 DPNs can simplify the i-cord creation process. Feel free to use them if available.

Where instructed, use different tail ends of each yarn colour or wind off smaller balls of yarn as needed, and use a separate end of the yarn for each colour section, twisting yarns at colour changes to avoid any holes (intarsia). This method is used to create the monkey’s head and dragon’s body.

Finished size: 6-7cm

10 pages

Yarn

DK (8-ply), small amounts each

·         [A] White

·         [B] Oatmeal

·         [C] Light brown

·         [D] Red-brown

·         [E] Dark brown

·         [F] Forest green

·         [G] Yellow-green

·         [H] Yellow

·         [J] Red

Tools & Supplies

·         3mm knitting needles

·         Chenille needle

·         6 pairs of 4mm mushroom-shaped beads

·         All-purpose sewing needle

·         Cotton thread

·         Toy stuffing

Yarn used

Sirdar Snuggly DK: 165m per 50g, 55% nylon, 45% acrylic